Friday, December 19, 2014

At the end of September our area was blasted by a VERY heavy hail-storm. My wife was on her way to pick up the kids from school, and the hail was so bad she said that folks were stopping in the middle of the road. She was able to pull into a parking lot and wait the storm out. We're waiting to see whether or not our insurance will cover replacing most of the body panels on that car! Our roof (old cedar shakes) was a mess, as were most of those in our neighborhood. Roof replacement was in the cards! Last Saturday a small army of workers climbed ladders and started tearing off the shakes. It did NOT make for a calm Saturday. There was the noise of the shake-removal, the worker's radio (a VERY different station than I would have normally picked!), and the sound of debris hitting the truck. When the sun finally went down, quiet was restored. What a relief! It remained quiet for several days, as we had snow on the roof. But mid-week they were back, this time to put down the new shingles. BANG, BANG, BANG! BANG, BANG, BANG! I'm hopeful that, today, when I get home, the roof is DONE! I am not really complaining, as I'm happy that we will have a new roof, providing better protection than its predecessor! But I was struck by the contrast between the noise of the work and the silence. I had grown slightly accustomed to the racket. The silence, while a relief, was almost deafening. I realized I was breathing differently. In a few days, like several other companies and institutions, the University of Denver will close for the last five business days of the year. The noise, both literal and figurative, of our work will cease. It's place, for many of us, will be taken by the hustle and bustle of holiday gatherings, noisy New Year's celebrations, intrusive holiday music in the stores, etc. Quiet, please! Yet, at the same time, we will be surrounded by opportunities to find quiet and solitude. Those of us who live in areas that are subject to snowfall all probably know how quiet even the busiest neighborhood becomes once it's blanketed by snow. And heading into a park, or up into the mountains, just makes the quiet that much deeper. I know I'll be heading out of the neighborhood to find that quiet, to be renewed, to take the opportunity to breathe differently. May we all find some of the quiet holiday blessings the season affords.Blessings,

Friday, December 5, 2014

"You are wildly inaccurate with your self-evaluation." So begins Mary Hynes' interview with scholar/blogger/author David McRaney.* Ms. Hynes was not accusing Mr. McRaney of anything, but, rather, summarizing some of his work . . . which, of course they discuss over the course of the interview. The first part of the interview focuses on our common tendency to, and benefits of, self-delusion. McRaney even argues that "People who are brutally honest with themselves are not as happy day-to-day as people with unrealistic assumptions about their abilities." I listened to this interview earlier this week. And my listening to it was done in the midst of the news of the two grand jury decisions NOT to indict police officers in the deaths of two black men. In addition I was also a member of a committee planning a division-wide workshop focusing on our implicit biases (the topic had been chosen prior to the Ferguson decision). Questions, therefore, of bias, prejudice, self-awareness -- all of these have been swirling about me for several weeks. As part of the workshop, I (and the rest of the division) was asked to take Harvard's Implicit Association Test. This survey examines our automatic (i.e., unconscious) reactions/attitudes about a whole range of subjects, from sex/gender to race to weight to Harry Potter vs. Lord of the Rings. In the midst of all of the tension and protests following the Ferguson decision, I decided to take the "race" test. The results were not what I'd hoped; my automatic reactions favored European Americans over African Americans. I took little solace in learning that I'm not unusual in any sense -- that most Americans, regardless of race/ethnicity, who take the test show the same "automatic" response. This isn't good news. Most of us, however, would not want to admit that these are our attitudes -- even if they are unconscious. And, those who work on the Implicit Association Test generally point out that implicit bias (in terms of race) does not mean racism. Yet, in general, we would confirm Mr. McRaney's conclusion: we are wildly inaccurate with our self-evaluation. And I think he would agree that this is one place where there are very few benefits to this self-delusion. Our attitudes (unexamined or not) result in actions we may not wish to own. There does, however, seem to be some good news. Later in the interview, McRaney addresses the question "Which comes first, attitude or behavior?". After some discussion, he summarizes recent research: changing one's behavior leads to changed attitudes. That is, if one causes harm, hate will follow. The opposite is also true -- good news for us -- if one acts compassionately, care will follow. The imperative, as he quotes his father, "Act your way to right thinking." Our better natures, those commended to us by our various religious traditions, would have us exercise compassion, hospitality and justice to all people. Perhaps, as we move through the tragic events of the last several weeks and months, and the protests and demonstrations that have followed, we can actively change our behaviors--our actions--and, thereby, change some of our attitudes so that "automatic" actions are just, caring and compassionate. What a great holiday gift to give our culture.Blessings,

Thanks for riding in!

"On a bike and a prayer" is the blog-site of the Rev. Gary Brower, University Chaplain at the University of Denver. It is meant to be a (relatively) regular site for musings of an inter-religious/ethical/"cycli-cal" nature (with occasional forays into other areas). Please leave any comments you like!